Shark conservation plan in the balance at landmark talks

Representatives from 50 nations have met to discuss the draft plan to ban shark finning and manage populations. The Guardian reports on what I believe is a tragedy for some soup! What do You think? Tell us at NAEEUK

A ban on shark finning and the adoption of a global shark conservation plan is being sought at a meeting of more than 50 countries in Bonn this week.

Shark fin soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The UK-backed draft plan to monitor and manage shark populations is under discussion at the first official meeting of signatories to a landmark memorandum of understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). A decision is expected on Thursday.

Shark finning has been banned by more than 60 fishing nations as well as the European Union. But in the EU and in many countries, permits for processing on board can be obtained in some cases, whereby shark fins can be removed from the carcasses and stored separately. A vote in the European parliament‘s committee on fisheries voted on the issue on 19 September, but failed to close the loopholes.

Sandrine Polti, shark policy adviser to the Pew Environment Group, said: “Pew strongly supports the European commission‘s proposal [made in 2011, to end the permits] and urges all parliamentarians to endorse a strict EU policy against removing shark fins at sea, without any more exceptions,”

The plan under discussion at this week’s CMS would commit countries to: “Where not already in place, consider enacting legislation or regulations requiring sharks to be landed with each fin naturally attached.”